Parachute
by Maano
Summary: I don't fall easily, and not for everyone. But when I do, I fall hard. And I fall fast. I need you to make sure my heart doesn't break when I hit the ground. - Brittana
1. Can I have this dance?

"And five, six, seven, eight"

_Want me to come around and give you good karma, but no, w__e escalate. Up in this bitch like elevators._  
_Of course sometimes shit go down_  
_When it's a billion dollars on an elevator-_

"And one, two, right, four, left, left, turn, eight. One, kick, three, good, turn, jump, yes, nice. Loosen up a bit, it'll be easier if you try to relax."

_Ha, ha, God damn, God damn, God damn!_

"Alright let's wrap it up! Awesome, guys!"

_Momma taught me good home training._  
_My Daddy taught me how to love my haters._  
_My sister told me I should speak my mi-_

You turn off the music and grab a bottle of water out of your bag. You walk back to the middle of the room and sign at your dancers that they have to sit down. "Alright, gather up. Guys .. Tina? So .. You know that the show is in two weeks, right? This is a hard routine, I know. But you can do this. All of you. I believe in you, kay?"

The group nods. A few of them are laying sprawled out on the floor, the other ones are emptying their water bottles within seconds.

You nudge a blonde with your foot and smile when the girl looks up sheepishly.

"You okay, Quinn?"

"Hmm"

You let out a chuckle and turn the other way. You take a sip from your water bottle and wave with your hand. "You're free to go"

You watch the group get up on their feet in slow motion, and you sigh. You know this is one of the most exhausting routines you've had them do this year, but hey, they want to become better dancers, don't they? You just hate seeing them so worn out.

I guess you noticed my reflection in the mirror, because suddenly you turn around. I was kind of hoping you would notice me and approach me, but now I wish you wouldn't have.

"Santana? Did you want to ask me something?"

You've known me for almost two years, by now you've figured out that I'm kind of the shy type when it comes to speaking to .. Well, people.

I look down at the ground, shuffling my feet and nervously fiddling with my hands. "Nothing" I mumble under my breath.

You roll your eyes and laugh "What can I do for you, Santana?"

I sigh and look up at you. You have a reassuring smile on your face, and the patient look in your eyes gives me a bit of courage. "I, um .. I don't really think it's .. It's a good idea to put me on the front line .."

You nod, bringing the bottle to your lips and taking a few sips. "Why not?"

I look down again "I just .. I'm gonna screw it up, and stuff .. I don't want to let you down .."

"But you're one of my best dancers, Santana. You can dance this choreography as good as anyone, if not even better."

"Really..?"

My voice sounds small and unsure. God, I hate it when I sound like this. You probably think I'm pathetic now, or just fishing for compliments.

"Hm hm" you nod. "I kept my eyes on you today, and you danced it flawlessly"

"I didn't" I whisper.

You furrow your eyebrows a bit, and take a step closer to me. "Didn't you?"

I slowly shake my head. "It's um, the chorus. Just that one step, I never get it right and then I just can't keep up anymore"

Your lip lips curl into a smile "Oh, yeah, I noticed that"

"Bye, Brittany!"

"Bye, Kurt! See you next week"

We watch the last people leave, the room is empty again. Empty and quiet. The mirrors make it seem even bigger, and the squeeking of my shoes on the floor echoes against the walls.

"You did ..?"

You look at me, raise your eyebrows, and then realise what I said.

You give me a soft smile. "You know what? I'll go over the steps with you again. Just you and me, no pressure from the others. How does that sound?"

I slightly lift my shoulders. "You don't have to.." I murmur, but you smile and shake your head.

"Hey, I'm your teacher. I'm supposed to help you become better, remember? We can meet up tomorrow, if you want. I have a class until 5, and then I'll probably go out to get something to eat, but I can meet you here after"

"Really?"

You nod, "Of course" you say, reassuring me with that smile again. You turn around, shove your stuff into your bag and swing it over your shoulder. "I have to go now, though. Meet me here tomorrow, at six. And make sure you eat something before, okay? I can't work when you're passed out on the floor"

I walk with you to the door and chuckle lightly. "That would be pretty inconvenient,.."

"Right?" you hint a smile at me. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then" You turn and walk in the opposite direction, I'm guessing you're going to shower. I turn around and push the glass door open with my fingertips. A cold breeze in my neck makes me shiver.

I tug on my scarf and wrap it tightly around my neck. Just before I let the door fall close, I hear someone call my name. I turn around and see you running up to me.

"Santana" you call. I hold the door. You stand still in the doorway.

"I uh, I just realised I can't stay really long tomorrow. Because it's, you know, Saturday night."

I bite my lip, and nod. "Yeah, um. That's okay, I'll just ask Quinn or something .. Don't worry about it .."

Your lips curl into a little smile "You can always just come a little earlier, around 5? Watch the class for a while if I'm not ready yet. I'll just eat a sandwich in between or something"

I give you a soft smile. "Thank you"

You shrug "You don't have to thank me"

"Hm .. Ms Pierce?"

You sigh, but you can't hide your smile, "I told you to stop calling me miss" you wink. "It makes me feel old"

I smile shyly. "Sorry"

"It's fine, what did you want to say?"

"Oh" I put my hands in my pocket to keep them warm and a nervous smile appears on my face. "Just that um .. You're really my favourite teacher"

You shake your head and laugh at me. "You're sweet. See you tomorrow, Santana"

I hint a smile back and watch you run away from me again. I sigh and turn around. I walk down the street, my apartment is only a few blocks away. I count the steps I take out of boredom, and try to remember as many faces as I see. One, two, three yellow cars pass by. 5 blue ones, 1 purple. My lips curl into a little smile when I see an old lady in a pimped out sports car. It drives away with a lot of noise and I turn around a corner.

About ten minutes later I pass the bar right next to my bulding. I glance through the window and a sad smile appears on my face. There is this old man sitting in a corner, his name is Jonathan Thums. I sometimes pass him in the hall of the apartment complex, I believe he lives in flat 5C. I always see him in here, reading a newspaper, or having a drink alone at the bar. I don't know why, I kind of just feel bad for him. He seems so lonely.

I walk through the front door of my apartment building. I live in a giant complex, and from the outside you would think it's quite crappy, but it's actually really nice. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a hotel instead of an apartment because it's so big, but then I remember I have to cook my own meals, and that is kind of a buzz kill. I continue my way to the elevator and press the button to my floor. It always takes a while, since I am literally on the highest floor of the building, but I don't mind. There usually aren't that many people on the elevator at this time.

The doors open and I walk out and unlock the door of my apartment. Quinn is sprawled out on the couch, watching tv. She's still wearing her dance outfit, grey sweatpants and an old cheerios T-shirt. There's a bag of chips laying on the ground.

"whuttookyousolong" I hear her mumble, her face pressed into a pillow.

"I uh, I had to ask ms Pierce something. Why didn't you wait up for me"

She turns her head, and even though only half her face is showing, I can see she's raising a brow at me.

"I can't believe you are still calling her _miss_ Pierce. We've known her for like two years now, and she's like, what .. 1 year older than you?" She asks, her hand blindly trying to fish some chips out of the bag.

I roll my eyes and drop my bag on the counter. I open the fridge and grab a can of diet coke.

"She's two years older, and it just feels weird calling her Brittany"

Quinn huffs. "Why? Is that too personal for you?"

I grab the roll of paper towels and throw it at her head. It unrolls on the floor and Quinn sits up and gasps. "What's your problem?"

"Don't make fun of me.." I reply, shrugging my shoulders lightly. "Can you clean that up?"

She groans and lets her head fall back on the couch. "You're the worst roommate ever .."

I grin and walk around the kitchen to find a clean cup. "We should really do the dishes some time, Q. I can't even find one cup or glass that doesn't have remains of soda, wine, or disgusting orange juice in it."

"Well, have you looked in the cupboard?"

I frown "The cupboard .." I mumble under my breath. I open a few doors and my frown grows bigger when I find an entire shelf of clean glasses.

"Oh"

I take one out and fill it with soda. "Hey," I call, when I see an empty bowl with some cheesy leftovers. "Did you eat macaroni and cheese?"

"Yeah why?"

I sigh. Do you know those kind of people who can eat like three meals in the time you eat a sandwich? Well, Quinn's one of them. I still don't get how she can eat this much and not throw up every time. Must be genetics or something.

"You could've made me some" I tell her, walking over to the couch. I sit down and glance at the screen. She's watching that ridiculous show again.

"I don't understand how you can watch this but hate Sweet Valley High"

She starts to laugh at me and I shake my head. "This is realistic" she replies, in a pathetic attempt to defend Jersey Shore.

I let out a deep sigh. "Quinn .. It is literally a show about people having a better time than you. Preferably using that time to get drunk and .. Having sexual .. Relationships"

She tries to bite back a laugh. "Sexual relationships?"

I scowl and look down to hide my flushing cheeks. "Shut up.." I mutter.

She chuckles "Anyway, your hilarious embarrassment aside, what's for dinner tonight?"

I shrug again "I don't know.. I don't feel like cooking. Chinese?"

"Kay" she mumbles, and she lies down and grabs the tv remote. She zapps through some channels and stops when she sees _Girls_ is on.

"Quinn?"

She doesn't look up at me. Knowing Quinn, she's either ignoring me for her sake, or she's just so caught up in this show, -which I have to admit, is good- that she simply doesn't hear me.

"Quinn" I try again, a little louder.

"Hm?" she glances at me and raises her eyebrows.

"Can you call for take out?"

She sighs, sits up and looks at me. At first I thought she was going to tell me to do it myself, but she gives me an understanding smile.

"Sure"

* * *

I'm standing outside of the studio, waiting for the clock to strike 5. I don't want to be early, so yes, I am waiting outside in the cold until I'm supposed to be inside. I look at my watch.

**16.59h**.

I feel a cold drip on my face and look up, it's already starting to drizzle. I take a step closer to the door and let out a soft squeek when the electronic doors open. I stand close to the wall so the raindrops can't hit me and I check my watch again.

**17.00h**

I turn around, causing the door to open and I swipe my card in front of the card reader to get in. I make my way to the studio where your class is supposed to be ending right now. I can't help my curiosity when I hear music coming from the room. It's not like the music we dance to, it's .. Salsa?

I peek through the doorcrack and frown when I see what's going on. There you are, in the arms of an unknown man, showing off a ridiculously complex salsa routine. I must say, you are kind of kicking ass at it. You're not only my favourite teacher because you're always looking out for your dancers, making sure they're okay and that everyone gets the steps. It's also because I could just keep watching you dance for hours and hours. The way you move, so gracefully .. I can only dream of ever being that good.

I watch you dance for a minute or two, and suddenly you look up, and look right into my eyes. You don't miss a single step, you just keep you're eyes locked to mine while you finish the last part of your routine, and a small smile forms on your face. You tell your dance partner that he is doing great, and you walk up to me.

I smile sheepishly when I realise I'm still hiding behind the door. You swing the door open, take me by the hand and pull me inside, before closing the door behind me.

"There have been complains about my music being too loud" you explain, as you let go of me. I look around me, the faces that are watching me are all a bit older. Well, minimum 40 or so. You look up at your class. "See you next week, guys. Don't forget to sway those hips"

As the people leave, you turn to me. "Why didn't you just come in? I could've taught you some salsaaa"

I look down and shrug. "Didn't want to interrupt" I mumble.

You frown, but decide not to ask further questions. After all, I'm here to dance. You wait until the last person has left, and you walk over to the stereo.

"So, the chorus, huh?"

I nod "Yeah"

"Let's just start with that, then, okay?"

"Okay" it almost comes out as a whisper. I hate that I'm feeling so nervous, because you are the sweetest person on earth and I don't want you to think I don't like you, because I do. But I guess I can be proud of myself for even showing up. After 5 cups of coffee, and an even longer speech from Quinn, she shoved me out of the door in my pyjamas, throwing my gym bag after me. I had banged on the door until she peeked through the little hole that we use to see who is - well, banging on our door.

"Are you seriously making me take off my clothes in the middle of the hallway?" I had asked her. After a moment of hesitance, she opened the door on the one condition that I would change as fast as I could and that I would go straight to the extra dance class when I was ready. I wasn't able to convince her to come with me, but after a lot of whining she agreed to drop me off. I just hope she doesn't forget to pick me up later.

I hear the song start to play and I look at you. You noticed I was zoning out, I don't know if you've called my name, but I wasn't ignoring you, I swear.

You're counting the first steps and you tell me to start dancing right before the chorus starts. You're looking at me, waiting. I tap my foot on the rythm of the music, and you give me an encouraging smile. When the chorus starts, you nod at me. I follow the routine quite well, but when I have to do that one difficult move, I miss my step again and I trip over my own feet. I expected to hear you sigh, but you don't. I stare at myself in the mirror, the music continues to play. I stand still for a moment. You place your hand on my arm and I flinch, but don't brush it off.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

You don't ask me like you're looking down on me for this. You don't say it because you're disappointed. You sound concerned. You _are_ concerned. I can see it in your eyes, the way your eyebrows frown just a little bit.

"Santana?" your voice is soft and calming.

I nod, slightly. Just enough so you can notice. "I-I can do it .. When I'm alone" I whisper. You let go of me, jog to the stereo and turn off the music.

"What are you scared of?" you ask me. "Just dancing in front of people?"

I nod again, this time I look up at you. "Everybody will be watching me" I whisper "What if I screw up..?"

"You won't" you say, walking up to me again. "But you have to believe in yourself, Santana. If you keep thinking you're gonna fail, you will. I am 100% sure of that."

I look down, and you realise this maybe isn't the right way. You're usually pretty good at peptalks, at least you think you are, but you know in this case it's not going to work.

You bite your lip, you look like you're trying to think of something. "I have an idea" you say. "You're scared of dancing in front of people, which means you are probably-" you pick up your phone and swipe through your playlists. "-also scared of dancing in front of me."

I furrow my eyebrows a bit. Am I? Is she going to make me dance for her? Or for the whole group? Please don't say I have to do that ..

"Don't worry" you chuckle, noticing the horrified expression on my face. "I'm not going to make you dance for me"

I feel my shoulders drop a bit in relief. Okay.

"Instead-" you say, you tap on your phone and a second later I hear the first notes of a song playing. "-you are going to dance _with_ me."

I want to protest, ask you if you really think that's a good idea, but you have already taken my hand in yours.

"I've done this before, it will help, I promise."

_Take my hand, take a breath. Pull me close, and take one step._

Your left hand rests lightly on my waist, your other hand is wrapped in mine. I feel my heart race as you pull me closer to you, our bodies only a few inches apart. You look down at me and smile, I see you count_ one, two_, and you take a step back.

_Won't you promise me, that you'll never forget. We'll keep dancing, wherever we go next._

You lead me around the room, softly pulling me with you. You notice I'm not comfortable, but you keep going anyway. I watch us in the reflection of the mirror, and earn a smile when you catch my eyes. I miss a step but you hold me up. You won't let me fall. You know, eventually, this will help. If I trust you, if I trust the music, maybe I will start trusting myself. You lean in closer for a second, just long enough for me to feel your breathing in my neck, and hear your words by my ear.

"Close your eyes"

I look up at you, a frown on my face, non-understanding look in my eyes. I slowly shake my head. Right, left, then right.

You twirl me around and catch me in your arms. You stop dancing, you hold still, resting your hands on my shoulders. You look down at me, and wait for me to tilt my head up.

"Santana,"

_And with every step together, we just keep on getting better .._

I nervously nibble on my lip, trying to avoid your gaze.

So_ can I have this dance.. _

_Can I have this, dance ..?_

You remove your hands from my shoulders. "Sit down" you tell me.

I slowly do as you say, I cross my legs beneath me and cautiously watch you as you walk over to me. You turned off the music, and I suddenly hear myself breathing heavily. My heart is thumping loudly, it feels like it's about to jump out of my chest.

You sit down across from me, and hint a little smile. You lie down on your back and sign for me to do the same, I follow your lead.

"You're too tensed" you state. "If you want to become a good dancer, you have to be one with the music, but more important, you have to one with your body. You don't trust yourself, so you fall."

You turn your head to face me, and I do the same. The floor feels cold when it hits my warm, blushing cheek. But it feels nice, I need to cool down.

You look in my eyes. "Why don't you trust yourself?"

I turn my head again and stare at the ceiling, clenching my jaws tightly.

You don't say anything, you know I'll talk when I want to. You're giving me time. I bite my lip and lift my shoulders, as far as I can while laying on the floor.

"I don't know" I mumble.

My voice sounds raspy and sore, I should drink some water, but I don't want to get up now.

"Okay.. " you breathe out. It's quiet, you're probably trying to think of how to deal with me right now. I start feeling bad, I don't want you to have to deal with all of my crap. I'm a complex person, even I haven't succeeded in figuring me out. You shouldn't have to worry about me. Maybe I should just leave.

"Santana?"

I gulp, and slowly turn to look at you.

"Just start by taking a deep breath"

I frown, thinking I might've missed something. Were you talking while I was lost in thoughts? I decide to just do what you say, I take a breath.

"No" you say. "A deep breath. Fill your lungs with as much air as you can, hold it, and then try to release all of it again, slowly."

I take in a deep breath, like you said. I feel my chest rise up, I hold it for a second or two, and then let the air flood out of my lungs. You tell me to repeat this a few times, so I do. With every time I breathe out, I feel the tension flowing away just a bit more.

"Good," you smile at me. "Now try relaxing your body completely. Every muscle. You shoulders, your back, your legs .. You're just a weak puppet now"

I close my eyes and do what you told me. Only now I realise how tensed I actually was. It takes me a moment to do this, but eventually, I think I managed to become a puppet.

I can hear you scrambling up and I open my eyes. You reach your hand out to me. "Okay?"

I give you a soft smile. "Okay .." I breathe. I take your hand and let you pull me up. When I'm steady on my feet, you give my hand a little squeeze, before letting go.

"Let's try this again, okay?"

I nod softly. I love how patient you are with me. Mr. Chang, the instructor of another dance class I take, is certainly also nice, but he would never do this for me. At least I think he wouldn't. He's a good guy though, and his moves are just ridiculous. But you're just .. so gentle. He's a little bit more distant. Maybe it's because he's Asian.

You notice I'm daydreaming again, and you call me out of my thoughts. I look up at you and smile sheepishly. You hint a smile.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Oh" I shrug "Nothing.."

You chuckle lightly and you walk closer to me. "You seem like you always have a lot on your mind"

"Oh, yeah .. Sorry"

"You don't have to apologise for it" you smile. "I think it makes you interesting"

I frown and fiddle with my hands. "You do?" I ask, looking up at you.

You give me a little nod and a smile back, before walking over to the stereo again. "You know, I think this is the first time I have really had a decent conversation with you" you say, a hint of a smile in your voice.

You turn around and slightly bite your lip. "I like it"

"Oh" my throat is still dry, so my voice sounds a little raspy. "Thanks"

You let out a little laugh. "So, let's try again"

You take my hand and hold me in the same position as before. Only, this time, I feel a bit more comfortable. You're not pushing me to anything. But I guess my movements were still a bit shaky, because you tell me to relax again.

"Try closing your eyes, okay? You're safe, don't let anything distract you"

I look up at you, still not exactly convinced.

You hint a smile "Look, I'm here, I won't let you fall, I promise. If you feel uneasy, you can always just open them. It's not like I'm blindfolding you or something" You chuckle lightly and I can't help the small grin spreading across my face when the first word that comes to my mind is _wanky._

I nod softly. "Okay"

"Okay?"

I smile shyly "Yeah"

I close my eyes, slowly, slightly biting my lip. I can hear the music echoing through the room. You hold me a bit closer, so I'm pressed up against you. But I don't mind you invading my personal space right now. I can feel your steady heartbeat against my chest, my heart is probably racing. At first it feels a bit awkward, but then you start swaying back and forth, and after a while we are really dancing around the room, and I don't even think about the fact that my eyes are closed and I can't see where my feet are going anymore.

I get so caught up in your moves and the way you twirl me around that I didn't notice we're already halfway through a second song until you stand still.

You're smiling at me, I know you are. You can now proudly say that, yet again, you succeeded into using your genius mind for teaching purposes. I open my right eye and look up in yours.

I was right, your lips are curled into a grin.

"Do you trust me now?"

I blink. Do I? I'm not sure. The only thing I know is that my heart is beating rapidly, but it's not because I'm scared. It's not because I had to dance with you, or that I was anxious to screw up.

But you're still holding me, I'm still in your arms. And you're so awfully close.

I blink again, and escape from your grip. I nod. "I guess.."

I'm not lying, really. I actually feel more comfortable with you. Okay, maybe I don't magically trust you with my life, but I know I could. You promised you wouldn't let me fall, and you didn't.

"Well, that's one step already"

I hint a small smile, you smile back, and suddenly your head snaps up.

"Oh god"

I look up at you with a frown. "What, um, what's wrong?"

You shake your head, and look back from the clock to me. "It's almost six o'clock already. I have to meet my friends in 30 minutes."

"Oh"

You head to the stereo and plug out your phone, meanwhile another song had started playing. "I'm sorry, Santana. I really lost track off time."

"It's okay" I mumble. It's not that I'm angry now, really. I'm maybe just a bit .. Disappointed? I don't know why, but suddenly I feel sad that our time together is over already. On Monday I'll be_ just another dancer_ again. I'll probably fail the routine, and find an excuse to skip the show, like I did last year. The year before it was mr. Chang who teached us the choreography for the show, he prepared us for it. He never noticed when I felt insecure, or he just never acted on it.

I don't think that I could convince ms Pierce that I got the flu from my roommate the day before the show. Especially because my roommate would show up completely healthy, not even knowing about my sickness.

"Santana? Do you need me to drive you home or something? It's kind of getting dark"

I frown "Um, no .. It's only a ten minute walk. Five minutes if I hurry"

You smile at me and swing your bag over your right shoulder. "I'm sorry that I don't have that much time today, we didn't really get to do what we had planned on."

"It's fine" I reply, walking with you to the front door of the building.

"It's not" You push the door open. "I'm going to mentor you until you're so confident that you could walk up to that stage, all alone, and dance like you've never danced before. You won't be scared of performing anymore, and you won't have to make up excuses anymore to avoid shows."

I gasp a bit and frown at you "How .. huh?"

Your lips curl into a grin and you shake your head. "Mike Chang told me about the flu thing last year" you chuckle. "Don't even think about trying something like that on me"

You wink at me and I shyly look down. "I .. I wasn't planning to" I murmur.

"Well, awesome" you smile. "I have to go now, or I'm going to be late."

I nod "Okay"

"Unless, you wanna join me? I'm meeting up with some friends, mostly from the studio. We're just going to a pita bar or something, Mike Chang, Tina, Rachel and Kurt will be there too. You know them, right?"

I gulp, and nod again. Mike Chang is mr. Chang, the other instructor. Tina, Rachel and Kurt are in the same dance class as me. They're friendly, Rachel can annoy me a bit sometimes, but she's actually really nice to me. I don't talk a lot to Kurt, but I guess Tina and I are sort of friends. She's really sweet and she always tells me I look good when I know I look like I've slep three hours and just crawled out of bed.

I like them, but going out to dinner with them? I barely talk to them in class.. And what if they don't even want me to come? I'm not even sure if they like _me.. _It would probably be a night of awkward silences and nervous smiles and those are things I simply cannot handle, especially with people I don't know that well.

I look up at you, you're watching me questionly.

"I uh, I know them, yeah.."

You smile at me. "So you'll come with?"

I frown and nibble on my lip "Um, no .. It's uh, Quinn and I have .. Saturday movie night.." I say, nodding my head.

I give you an apologising smile and shrug my shoulders lightly. "She's probably .. waiting for me. She's, um, kind of impatient. I should go" I say quickly. I turn around and take a step or two before you grab my arm and spin me around.

You smile softly. "It was just an invitation, Santana."

I force a smile back "I know"

You chuckle lightly "Now, go home and have your movie night"

"Oh, yeah.." I mumble.

"I'll see you on Monday, Santana"

"Uhuh"

"Bye" you smile brightly, before turning around and walking over to your car. I watch you get in and a small smile forms on my lips when you wave at me through the window.

I wave back shyly and hear your engine start. You glance at me one more time, a warm smile on your face. A raindrop wets my nose as I watch you drive away. I wipe it off and look up at the sky.

It's starting to rain again.

* * *

**Thoughts? **

**Songs are _Flawless_ by Beyoncé and_ Can I have this dance_ from High School Musical **


	2. It's a date

I open the door to my apartment and almost bump into Quinn. A bit startled, I stumble back. When I take a better look at her, I notice she's dressed up. Not overdressed. But dressed up to go out.

"Whoa" she laughs. "Sorry"

I shake my head and frown "It's okay, where are you going?"

"Oh" she says, stepping aside so I can walk inside. She closes the door and leans against it. "I was just heading out, Rachel called me to ask if I wanted to meet her and some friends for dinner."

My eyes widen "Rachel?"

"Uh .. Yah?" she walks over to me and sits down on the couch across from me.

"Rachel, and some friends ..?"

"Yes, Santana. Do you want to come too, or something? 'cause you can-"

"-Are they going to a pita bar?"

"Yeah" she frowns "How'd you know?"

"No, no you can't go"

Quinn sighs and raises an eyebrow at me. "Santana ... What did you do ..?"

I look down and fiddle with my hands. "Nothing .." I mumble.

"Oh, c'mon .. You know I'll find out eventually."

When I don't immediately answer her, she gets up from the couch and starts walking to the door. "Otherwise imma just go out, if you-"

"-No" I protest.

She turns and looks at me. "It's just .. Ms. Pierce is gonna be there, and .. I kinda told her we were having a Saturday movie night .."

She walks back over to me with a frown on her face. "But we always have Monday Movie Night .."

"I know" I mutter.

"So, why did you say that, then?"

"Just .." I sigh. "She invited me too, to the pita thing. And I didn't want to go so ..-"

"-So now I can't go out because you didn't want to go.."

"Sorry" I get up and walk up to her "I just didn't really know what to say .. You can go, if you want to."

Quinn slowly shakes her head, before sitting down on a chair and starting to take off her shoes. She places them in a corner and hangs up her coat.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

She flops down on the couch and looks at me. "I don't like pita that much anyway" she shrugs. "I'd rather have some of your delicious empanadas"

She wiggles her eyebrows at me and can't help but to roll my eyes and laugh. "How many do you want?"

She grins at me "How many can you make?"

* * *

Monday afternoon, and I'm waiting for Quinn to get ready. I don't even know what she does in that bathroom, I only know it always takes her forever. I bang on the door and tell her to hurry, or we're going to be late for dance class. She opens the door and quickly walks out in her underwear.

"Seriously? You're not even dressed yet?"

"Oh shush" She walks into her room and comes out ten seconds later, fully dressed. I don't really know how she does that either. She sits down on the floor, puts on her shoes and looks up. "You ready?"

I roll my eyes and jog past her. I hear her scramble up and she follows me out of the door.

We arrive at the studio ten minutes late, Quinn decided she wasn't going to be able to dance for two hours straight without a vanilla latte, so we had to stop by a Starbucks on the way. We walk into the building and I can already hear your music echoing through the hall. The door is slightly open, and I peek inside, waiting for Quinn to finish her coffee. You're watching the class as they dance the routine. You lean against the mirror and scan the room, I quickly disappear behind the door again.

I hear Quinn chuckle behind me and I turn around. "What are you doing?" she asks me with a smile.

I shrug "I was waiting for you." She rolls her eyes and pushes the door open. You look up just as we walk in.

"Ladies .." you say, raising your brow. "You're late"

I want to start apologising, and preferably blaming it on Quinn, but she just shrugs and grins at you.

"I like to make an entrance .."

You laugh and shake your head "Get in line, Fabray"

I follow Quinn to the group and feel your gaze lingering on me. I look over my shoulder, and you shoot me a little smile, before turning around and counting off. We dance the routine again.

About two intense hours later, you dismiss the class. Most people leave immediately, but I casually linger around for a bit, secretly hoping you'd call me over.

"Santana?"

I look up, you're standing a few feet away from me. "Uh, yeah?"

In the mirror I can see Quinn collecting her stuff, I catch her eye in the reflection.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I hint a smile and slowly walk over to you. Quinn is waiting for me by the door.

"So" you say. "You seem to be doing better?"

I frown. "Really? I .. I didn't really think so"

You smile at me and raise your eyebrows. "So you're not getting better?"

"I .." I tilt my head to the side and look at you confused. "I don't know .. Am I?"

You sigh, smiling, and softly shake your head. "You seemed nervous again"

"Oh" I look down and bite my lip. "That.."

"Yeah" you smile "That .."

"Look, if you want another few private sessions I'll be happy to give them to you..?"

I shake my head "Oh, no you, you don't have to-"

"-Do you have school tomorrow?" you interrupt me, and I look up.

I frown "Tomorrow.. Tomorrow is .."

"Tuesday" you nod.

"Right, uh, no .."

"Great" you grin. "Meet me here around noon."

"I-"

"-You should probably go, Quinn looks like she could pass out any minute now" you chuckle.

I look over my shoulder at her. She actually kind of does look like she's just ran a marathon. Strange. I'm not tired at all.

When I turn my head, you're smiling at me. "See you tomorrow"

I awkwardly smile back "Bye" I turn around and start walking over to the door, but you call me back again.

"Oh, Santana?"

I look at you "Uh, yeah ..?"

"Next time, don't let Quinn cause you to be late in class" you smile.

"I .. Huh? How'd you know?" I frown and you let out a light chuckle.

"I just do"

I leave with Quinn, and on the way back home she asks me what you wanted to talk to me about. I tell her you're just going to give me some private sessions so I don't try to bail on the show again. She frowns at me.

"You bailed on the show last year?"

"Uh, yeah.." I mumble. "Don't you remember?"

"Ooh .. Right" she smiles at me as we cross the street. "So we're having another movie night tonight?"

I grin "Of course"

We walk into the apartment and instantly rush to the bathroom. She's faster than me, and I almost get the door slammed into my face. "No fair!" I shout, banging on the door. "You always get to shower first!"

I hear her chuckle behind the door. "Like you say, I always shower first"

I sigh and roll my eyes, walking back to the living room. When I'm about to sit down, I hear my phone chirp in my pocket. I take it out and flop down on the couch. I smile when I see the message is from you.

_Brittany Pierce - Hi! Feel like getting lunch before class tomorrow? I just discovered a new sandwich bar, close to the studio_

I gulp and nibble on my lip. Do I feel like having lunch with you? Sure I do, I like you, and I like food. But then again, I don't know if I really want to. I receive another text and look at the screen.

_Brittany Pierce - If not, that's okay_

I sigh. Why don't I just say yes? Of course you don't mind if I say no, but _I_ do. I don't want to reject you every time because when maybe one day I want to say yes, you probably won't ask me anymore. But if I say yes right now, there is a chance that you'll get stood up tomorrow. That I won't show up. A big chance. And I don't want to do that to you, it's even worse.

I didn't realise how long I was over thinking this until Quinn walks out of the bathroom. I must have been sitting here pretty long then, because Quinn isn't able to take a shower for less than 30 minutes. Especially when she has exercised.

I look up at her, she's drying her hair with a towel. "Who ya texting?" She asks.

"Oh" I look down. "No one"

"Oh c'mooon ... Seriously?"

"I'm not lying to you, I wasn't texting. I just, got a text .."

She sits down on the other couch and wiggles her eyebrows at me. "Soo .. Who is it?"

I get up and roll my eyes. "Your mother."

She laughs and throws a pillow after me as I scramble over to the bathroom door. I quickly lock it and grab a towel from the rack. I start taking off my clothes, and when I turn on the hot water, I realise that I left my phone on the sofa.

Shit.

Quinn is probably already reading through my texts, and she's going to try to convince me to go. _You should go out more, San. Why wouldn't you go?_

I can hear her voice in my head. Why wouldn't I go? Because I'm a scared little chicken that's why. I'd probably be all kinds of awkward as usual, and blacking out when I have to order won't be the first time either. I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything.

And don't get me wrong, Quinn does and says all these things out of love. She doesn't mean to push me to do things I don't want, but sometimes she doesn't realise that's actually exactly what she's doing. She doesn't always understand me, she doesn't always know how to deal with me. I can see she's trying though.

I realise I'm still just standing in my bathroom, naked, wasting water. I quickly hop into the shower and wash the doubt off of me.

* * *

I knew Quinn was nosy, so I wasn't surprised when I found out my expectations were right and that she had read your texts. But I guess I underestimated her nosiness, because I had never thought she would send one back.

I was heading to my bedroom, my body wrapped in a towel, when I heard my phone chirp on the couch. It sounded muffled, like it was laying under a pillow. Strange, because I had put it on the small table before I left.

I stood still for a second, debating whether or not to put some clothes on first, but when it chirped again, I walked over to the couch. The water dripping from my hair left a trace behind me. I found my cellphone, -yes, it was indeed under a pillow - picked it up and unlocked it. I had two new messages. From you.

I sighed and tapped on the screen to open them.

_Brittany Pierce - Haha, really? Okay :)_

_Brittany Pierce - Meet me eat-a-sandwich 12am?_

I frowned, this didn't make any sense. I hadn't even agreed yet, - unless ... I looked up at Quinn, she was flipping through a magazine.

"Quinn"

She looked up at me, innocently. "Yes, Santana?"

"Have you sent a text with my phone?"

A smirk appeared on her face and she shrugged lightly. "Perhaps"

I sigh, roll my eyes, sit down, and hit _sent messages_ on my phone. I don't have an iPhone, or something fancy, so my texts aren't kept in conversations. I should really buy a smartphone some time though.

_To : Brittany Pierce - Hellz yes! Would love to! It's a date!_

A big frown appears on my face when I see the text Quinn sent. This doesn't even _sound_ like me. I look up at Quinn, she's grinning at me.

"Quinn."

"Uhuh"

_"Why?_ If I would want to go so badly I would've texted her myself, you know that"

She sighs "Yeah ... I know"

"Then why do you always do stuff like this? I know you want me to go out and date and all that but ... What if _I_ don't want to?"

"It was just a _joke,_ San"

"Well I don't think it's funny."

I stand up from the couch and walk over to my bedroom. Once I've closed the door, I drop the towel to the floor and open my closet, searching for some clothes. I put on a clean pair of sweatpants and a tank top, and sit down on my bed. How am I supposed to turn you down now?

I could just say it was Quinn, but you could think that's just crap .. Maybe I should just go?

No, I can't ...

On the other hand, I could at least try ..

No ..

Yes ..

I don't know ..

The class is going to be awkward either way, whether I say yes and completely blow the _date_ -that is so not a date- or if I turn you down and just show up at the studio. I don't want it to be awkward. I like dancing with you. You helped me a lot last time, and I think that, if I try too, you could help me get over my stage fright. Maybe we could even become friends, and I believe I might actually like that.

Before I know it, my fingers are typing a reply.

_To : Brittany Pierce - Okay_

* * *

I smile awkwardly when you wave at me through the window of the sandwich bar. The words _eat-a-sandwich_ are displayed above the entire length of the building, big, bright and colourful. It's a small place, and it looks quite cosy.

A little bell rings when I open the glass door, and a few people turn to look at me. I look down and quickly make my way over to you. There are small, green tables, with light blue chairs and a counter, in the same blue as the chairs. You're sitting at the grass green bar, right in front of the window. I take a deep breath, and walk closer, before taking place on the bar stool next to you.

"Hi!" You say, cheerfully.

I hint a soft smile. "Hi .."

You give me a puzzled look, like you're trying to figure out what I'm thinking. I don't think you'd really want to know that. So far so good, this is going okay. I'm here, that's a start. You stop looking at me strangely, and a smile appears on your face.

"What do you want?"

I frown "Excuse me?"

You giggle at me "To eat. What do you want?"

"Oh"

Great. The awkwardness has begun.

"I uh .. I dunno" I mumble. "What do they have?"

You slide me a paper menu, folded like a pamphlet, and I open it. There isn't that much choice on the card itself, there are a few specials, but I never really take those. You never know what could be in them. I decide to just order a _salad sandwich_, as they call it here. You can put it together yourself. Well, you say what you want, and they put it on the bread.

"I'm just gonna get .. Um, this" I say, pointing at the name on the menu.

You nod "With everything?"

"Uh, no" I shake my head. "I don't eat tomatoes, or pickles."

"Okay, great!" You say, jumping out of your seat.

I gulp and take a breath, looking up at you. You frown "Aren't you hungry?"

"Oh, nono, I am .. Hungry"

You raise an eyebrow at me "Then let's go getz some sandwiches"

I force a smile and slide out of my chair, taking a step towards you. I have never been good at ordering things. I always forget what I wanted to say, or mess up my words, or just completely freak out. I lick my lips and think of the exact words I'm going to say. But I guess you noticed I was feeling kinda nervous again, because you give me a soft smile.

"You want me to order for you?"

I blink and stare at you for a second. Would you?

"I .." I frown "You don't- you don't have to .. I'll just ..-"

"- Everything except pickles and tomatoes, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"-Mayonnaise?"

I sigh softly, but my lips curl into a little smile. I nod "Yeah .. Mayonnaise"

You jump up and grin at me "Be right back" you say, before turning around and heading to the counter. I can hear you telling the guy my order, and I smile when you raise your voice, explicitly telling him _not_ to put tomatoes on the sandwich.

I look out the window, while waiting for you. People walk by and occasionally look up from their phones to see where they're going, but only few turn their heads. I'm actually glad they only look down or straight forward, otherwise they would realise I'm watching them. Or they would make eye contact, and making eye contact with strangers isn't something I enjoy. Or eye contact with anyone, really.

You return to your seat next to me and hand me the sandwich, in a paper wrapper. I thank you and ask how much I owe you.

You shake your head. "Nothing" you mumble, your mouth already filled with bread. You chew and swallow, before giving me a little smile "It's on me"

I take my sandwich out of the wrapper and frown at you. "You don't have to do that" I murmur. "I'll pay you back"

"Nuhuh"

"Why not?" I ask, taking a bite off the sandwich. I feel some mayonnaise below my lip, but you wipe it off with your napkin before I get the chance. I curse the slight blush covering my cheeks.

"I always pay on the first date" you wink.

My eyes widen slightly at your words. Crap. You really see this as a date?

It's not that I don't like you, but I wasn't expecting you to say that. I didn't think you would think of this as a date. Fucking Quinn always puts me in these situations. Maybe I should just explain the whole text thing to you.

"Ms. Pierce, I uh ..-"

"- Santana." You raise your eyebrows at me as I look up. "Please, just call me Brittany" you chuckle.

I nod softly. "Okay. " I mumble. "Brittany .. Um, I have to tell you something .."

You frown, a bit concerned. "Okay .."

I shift a bit in my chair, fiddling with my hands. "You know, that text you got from me, yesterday.. The first one ..?"

You hint a smile at me. "Yeah?"

"Um, that wasn't actually me .. It was Quinn, she .. She kinda stole my phone"

Your grin grows wider. I guess you find my awkwardness and slight embarrassment very amusing, or something. "I know" you chuckle.

I furrow my eyebrows, confused. "You do?"

"Of course I do" you laugh "That didn't even _sound_ like you"

I smile "Yeah.."

"I was just messing with you, Santana" you smile, shaking your head.

"Now eat your sandwich" you say. "We don't have all day"

I think you meant that as a joke, because later, as we're walking over to the studio, you tell me you have nothing planned for today, and that we have the studio all to ourselves.

We sat at the sandwich bar for a while longer, you waiting for me to finish eating, and then we just talked for a bit. Well, you talked, and mostly I just listened. But I notice that, the more time I spend with you, the less uncomfortable I feel. You make me feel so normal, like the things I do or say, or the way I act isn't strange at all, even though some people think it is.

Most people don't understand why I'm so shy, or why I don't like going out alone, or why I simply can't do certain things. They think I'm weird, or weak, or sometimes even cute. They think they get it, but they don't. And somehow, I feel like maybe you do.

You hold the door to the studio open for me, and I feel a slight blush covering my cheeks. You smile at me, I guess you noticed. You walk over to the stereo and put on some music.

You see the frown on my face when I realise this obviously isn't Beyonce. You chuckle "We're gonna warm up and stretch first"

"Oh" I nod, and I walk over to you.

"You know, you don't really talk a lot" you say, placing your hands against the mirror and leaning forward to stretch your right leg.

I look down, following your lead and stretching my left leg. "Myeah" I mumble. "Sorry"

"And you say sorry a lot" You smile at me when I face you. I can't help but to smile back at you.

"Why is that?" You ask me "the talking part, I mean"

"Oh .. I don't know" I sit down across from you and spread my legs. I lean forward, almost touching the floor with my nose, it smells like gym shoes. "I'm just not really an interesting person .."

You shake your head, and I feel you placing the bottoms of your feet against mine. I look up and you reach for my hands. "That is something I do not agree with" you say.

I frown slightly "Why..?"

A bright smile appears on your face "Because I think you are very interesting"

You gently pull me forward as you lean back. While you can almost lie down on your back, I come slightly closer to the ground with my face. I softly tug on your arms and you sit up, it's my turn to lean back.

"Why .. Why do you think I'm interesting?"

"Do I have to have a reason for everything?"

I quickly shake my head "N-no, sorry"

You chuckle and pull me back up. "Stop saying sorry all the time"

You let go of my hands and stand up. "And you know, no matter how intrigued I am by your mysteriousness, I'd like to know more about you"

I get up to and look at you, frowning "You .. Really?"

You smile "Really. So, tell me something about yourself"

Oh god. These kind of questions.

"I .. Uh .."

When someone asks me one of those things, my mind always just suddenly goes blank. Like, completely blank. _What's your favourite movie?_ I have no idea, I have no memory of any movie I have ever seen in my life anymore..

I just kinda stare at you. And then you laugh. No, it's not a laugh, it's a giggle. "Has your mind shut down, Santana?"

I can't help my smile, your giggling is too contagious. "Yeah.. Sorry."

You nod "I totally hate it too when someone asks me that question"

I smile at you, gratefully, for not thinking I'm weird. Or just not saying it.

"You know what, let's just do what we came here to do in the first place, shall we?"

I nod softly and watch you as you swipe through the songs on your iPod. "I'll dance it with you" you say.

_Dum-da-de-da_  
_Do, do, do, do, do, do_

_Coming down, dripping candy on the ground -_

The song starts and I stand in place. You move to stand behind me so you can watch me better. Your reflection in the mirror gives me a smile. I already know I won't be able to do it from the first time, and I am indeed right. I miss my step and stand still when you look at me. You hint a smile at me.

"Again."

We dance the chorus three times, the second time better, the third time worse. I sigh softly, but you tell me to try one more time. I groan in frustration but stand in place anyway.

You start the song again. I don't start dancing right away, I take a deep breath and try to relax, just like you told me to. I breathe in and out, and close my eyes for a second. When I hear the chorus coming closer, I open my eyes and look at myself in the mirror. My lips curl into a little smile.

I can do this.

_You wake up, flawless_  
_Post up, flawless_  
_Ridin' round in it, flawless_  
_Flossin' on that, flawless -_

I follow the routine, my smile grows wider when I realise I'm actually doing well. I know you're smiling at me, too. You're not dancing anymore, you're just watching me. But I keep my eyes trained on myself.

I _woke up like this, I woke up like this_  
_We flawless, ladies, tell 'em_

_I woke up like this, I woke up like this_

Before I know it, I'm dancing through the entire chorus. I only realised I managed to do the difficult move, when I catch your eyes in the mirror. I stop moving. You're grinning like an idiot. I tear my eyes away from you to look in my own, and that's when it hits me.

I did it.

I did it and you were here with me. You were watching me, and I didn't fail. I can see my grin is just as wide as yours as you walk up to me.

I turn around and look up. You nod, still smiling.

"Now _that,_ was flawless."

I smile brightly and give you a high five when you raise your hand in the air.

"You did it!" You laugh.

"Yeah!"

I chuckle when I realise we're being way too excited about this, but at this moment, I don't really care. Even though I don't even know if I'll still be able to do it right in the regular class, right now I'm just glad that I made this small accomplishment. And your happiness is just so contagious, I can't help it. You know those people whose smile can light up the room? Well, you're one of them.

You look so proud of me, I can't help but to smile. You walk over to the stereo and pause the music, before looking up at me. You grin widely.

"Again?"

I smile back and shrug "Only if you dance it with me"

* * *

_Any thoughts? Thank you for the reviews on the first chapters by the way :)_

_ I know there isn't that much storyline yet, but that will come soon. I'm not rushing anything. As in the first chapter, the song they dance to is still Flawless by Beyonce, the original remix. _

_Anyway, I'm already working on the next chapter, gimme some time and it'll be up soon!_


	3. Nothing's going on

_Hi guys! So, thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter. I really appreciate it :) in this chapter you get a bit more insight on the friendship of Quinn and Santana, instead of just them getting a bit annoyed by eachother. I really liked writing them this way, and I hope you guys like it too :) more brittana will come soon though, don't worry lol_

_Meanwhile, some stuff is going on in Santana's head, as always, really. But I find it fun to write what she's thinking, so you can get to know her a bit better. You get to read a bit more about her personality, and what she actually thinks about Brittany_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and leave me a review if you like :)_

* * *

I did it.

I did it multiple times, and after that one of time, I didn't fail anymore. And every time I got better, and every time your smile grew wider. You looked so proud of me. I think you really were. I think I'm proud of myself too.

When I was walking home, I was debating whether to tell Quinn all of this. Would she be proud of me? Would she even care? She did send me a numerous amount of messages asking what the hell I was doing, and what was taking so long, and that she was lonely and bored. I had chuckled and replied that I'd be home soon, before telling you that I had to go. The time flew by today, it went so fast.

We danced some more, and talked some more. You showed me a choreography you might want to teach the group, and I had just watched you as my mouth dropped to the floor. I knew you saw that, because you smiled at me.

You told me about your life, and I told you about mine. I learned a lot about you. Your favourite colour, food, and animal, that you have a cat at home, and your best friend's name is Arthur. Or Artie, as you call him. You told me about your parents back in Ohio, and I told you that I lived in Ohio too, when I was younger. You lived in Indiana your whole life, but your parents moved away when you did. You said you never got why they would move to such a lame little town, and you giggled when I frowned at you, a bit offended.

"It's not lame .." I had muttered.

You grinned at me. "C'mon.. Lima, Ohio?"

I shrugged, trying to stop my lips from smiling. "Maybe a little.."

You asked me to meet up again, in a day or two. Well, you didn't exactly ask me, you just told me that we are. I'm fine with that.

I enter my apartment building and walk over to the elevator. Thank god it's empty, around this time there are usually a lot of people. I go inside and press the button to my floor, but just before the doors close, an arm slides in to the gap, preventing them to close. A man from about my age, maybe a bit older, enters the cabin and nods at me, a slight smirk on his face.

"Good evening"

I show a small, extremely awkward smile. "Hi" I whisper.

The smell of his cologne fills the small space, and I take a step back so I'm leaning against the back wall. Since three of the elevator walls have mirrors, the man is practically everywhere. I try to avoid his gaze, but when I look up, I accidentally catch his eye in the reflection of the mirror. I gulp and quickly look down again.

I know he's frowning at me. "Miss, are you okay?"

I quickly nod.

It's not like I'm claustrophobic, I just really don't like situations like this. Being in an enclosed space with a stranger so close to me, it's just not something I enjoy. It's too much silence and too much awkwardness.

"Are you sure?" He asks, taking a step towards me. "You seem to look a bit pale."

I force myself to look up at him and to smile. He means well, I say to myself. He's just a nice guy in my building. I nod.

"I'm fine."

Well, that's a lie. He gives me a puzzled look, and he keeps watching me carefully, making me even more uncomfortable. When he still doesn't look away after I do, I certainly want to get out of here. And there is only one way. This man doesn't know me at all, he has no clue where I live, so he won't even notice if I walk out a bit earlier that normal.

I shuffle to the button pad and press number 5, which is the next floor. A few seconds later the elevator stops and the doors open. I fake another smile at him and walk out. When the doors close, I lean back against a wall and take a deep breath.

After a few seconds I open my eyes again and push myself off the wall. I walk through the hall. I'll just take the stairs this time.

When I open the door to my apartment, I expected to see Quinn laying on the couch, or hearing her sing in the shower. But the apartment is dark, and silent. I switch the light on and close the door, frowning. She has been sending me texts for like an hour telling me to come home, and when I do, she's not here?

I walk over to the fridge and see a bright pink note sticking on the door. I peel it off. I can see she quickly scrabbled the words down, probably right before she left.

_You took too long and I got bored, I'm out with Rach x_

I sigh and roll my eyes. Seriously? How could I have expected anything else from her..

You know, Quinn isn't as bad as she seems, but lately she's been quite .. I don't know. I've known her for a long time, and in high school she was very different than she is now. She used to be well organised, hard to get, she was actually kind of a bitch, but she knew how to get what she wanted. She was a straight A student, and never reckless.

That changed when we moved to New York. Now reckless is all that she is. As soon as her parents were out of sight, the true Quinn Fabray appeared. A Quinn I had never really met before, but I liked just the same.

Anyway, I stop thinking about Quinn and I start looking for something to eat. There's still some left over Chinese, but when I take it out of the fridge and see what it looks like, I decide to just throw it in the trash can right away. Quinn would've eaten it.

* * *

It's 1am when I hear the front door open. I'm still awake. I hear giggles and whispering coming from the hall and I instantly know it's Quinn. According to the second voice I hear, she brought Rachel with her.

"We've got toniiiiight baaaabe"

I roll my eyes when I hear Rachel singing through the apartment.

"Sssh" Quinn laughs.

"Who needs tomorroooow"

They stumble past my bedroom door and I hold back the urge to walk out and laugh at them. Quinn is always pretty hilarious when she's drunk, and Rachel isn't that much better. I see Rachel a lot nowadays, Quinn meets up with her pretty often, and sometimes she's just at our apartment, singing. I don't really mind, she's got an amazing voice.

Although it is pretty strange to walk into my kitchen the next morning and to see Rachel having breakfast in her pyjamas, I actually kinda like having her over. It's a nice break from just me and Quinn 24/7. I hint a small smile at her and grab the box of cereal out of of a cabinet.

"Good morning, Santana" Rachel says to me. She sounds way too cheerful to be hungover.

"'Mornin'.." I mumble, searching through the fridge for milk. "Where's Quinn?"

"Quinn is still in bed. She doesn't feel so well"

I try to hold back a chuckle, but fail. As I said before, Quinn is funny when she's drunk, but the morning after is always absolute horror.

Rachel gives me a look and I quickly sit down, pouring some milk in my bowl.

"So, do you have class today?"

"Uh, yeah" I say. I look up at the clock, I still have some time. I pick up my spoon and scoop up a bit of cereal.

"What class do you have?"

With the spoon halfway to my mouth, I let out a silent sigh. So, this is why Rachel annoys me sometimes. She talks a lot. But like, a lot a lot. And I don't really function properly before 10am so it's still too early for a Rachel-convo.

Luckily, I'm saved by the sound of stumbling footsteps in the hall, followed by someone coughing loudly. I roll my eyes and get up from my chair, ready to prevent Quinn from puking all over our bathroom floor. I guess I'll be late for class today.

When I arrive in the bathroom, Quinn is on her knees in front of the toilet. I silently walk over to her and sit down on the edge of the bathtub, before reaching out to her and holding the hair out of her face. She glances up for a second and I give her a soft smile. Our contact doesn't last very long, a second later she turns her head to throw up again.

After about two minutes, Rachel shows up, asking if she could maybe do something. I actually want to ask her to make some tea, but I don't even know if she knows where we keep the tea, or if she knows how to make it, or if she would even want to do that, and I don't want to seem needy or like I want to take advantage of her, so I shrug and tell her no.

Also, I don't think Quinn would like her new friend to see her like this, so after I stayed with her in the bathroom for a little while, I get up and head to the kitchen. Rachel looks up. "How is she?"

I shrug lightly "Not so good .. I'm gonna take her to bed .. so ..."

Rachel nods. "I will leave then.. Call me if you need me, okay?"

I look at her, a bit surprised. I can call her?

"I .. Really?"

"Yeah, of course!" She replies, smiling. She gets up from her chair, she's now fully dressed. She picks up her bag and shrugs her coat on, before looking at me.

"That's what friends do, right?" she smiles brightly, before waving goodbye and walking out of the door.

I stand still for a second. Thats what friends do? We're friends? That's what she meant, right?

I'm called out of my thoughts by Quinn practically croaking my name.

Oh, right. Quinn.

As expected, after Quinn was finally sleeping peacefully without throwing up, it was too late already for my 11am class. I decided not to go, I'd rather miss a class than walk in in the middle of the professor's speech.

Right now I'm laying on the couch, laptop on my lap, attempting to finish an assignement. Quinn is still sleeping, so I can't put music on, which means I am very, very bored, and I can't at all focus on schoolwork right now. I hear my phone buzz.

Somewhere.

I sit up a bit straighter and dig through the pile of papers and food wrappers on the coffee table and the couch. Aha. I locate my phone under my psychology map and take it out. I have a text.

_Brittany Pierce - Hi! Is Friday 10am okay?_

_Brittany Pierce - Just realised that's very early .. That too early?_

I smile. You can be kind of dorky sometimes. Just when I'm about to type a reply, another text comes in.

_Brittany Pierce - Omg, now I feel like I'm stalking you, but 10am is certainly way too early, even for me. Noon?_

With a grin on my face I type a reply. I can't help it, you're just kind of really cute sometimes. Okay, that seems weird to think. But you are. And I like hanging out with you, even if it's just dancing. I especially like the dancing, because talking isn't exactly my speciality. But I like hearing you talk. You always have funny stories to tell, about your friends, about your cat, or your family .. I like listening to you. Maybe I could tell you something about me some time, although my stories won't be as fun as yours. I think you're trying to make me talk about myself, I still don't get why you'd find me interesting. But I might, you have a way of making me feel comfortable. I don't know if it's because you're just really easy to be around, or because you're extremely social, and funny, and not all inpatient, but you manage to make me feel comfortable. And I like that.

You text back immediately, and just as I'm thinking about what to answer, Quinn appears in the living room. I frown at her. She should be in bed.

"Who ya texting?"

It comes out like a hoarse whisper, and she clears her throat. I shake my head and smile. Even with a massive hangover, Quinn still manages to be the nosiest person I know.

"Brittany," I tell her. "And you should be in bed."

"So, finally on first name base, huh?" Quinn jokes. I roll my eyes and throw a pillow at her. I miss, obviously.

"Shut it, Fabray"

She grins at me, before suddenly looking around. "Where's Rachel?"

"She left, like" I look at my watch. "Three hours ago. Do you need her? She told me to call if we needed her."

Quinn chuckles and shakes her head. "No, I'm fine .."

She settles on the other couch and lies down. She picks up the pillow I threw at her and stuffs it under her head, before turning and looking at me. "What's going on with you and Brittany anyway? All those secret encounters?"

I frown at her. "What's that supposed to mean? She's just helping me with the choreography."

Quinn apparently chooses to ignore my words, because she just continues talking. "You know, I heard she's gay." I raise an eyebrow at her and she shrugs. "Rachel told me."

"Oh" I nod, an amused grin on my face. _"Rachel_ told you .."

"Uh, yeah?"

I chuckle "Well, what's going on with you guys, huh? You seem _pretty close_ lately" I tease. "She good?"

Quinn gasps. "Oh, I would so throw this pillow at your head if I didn't need it"

I laugh at her. "I was just joking. Anyway, Brittany can't be gay, she had a boyfriend last year, remember?"

"Oh, right .." Quinn frowns. "Well, maybe she just .. turned gay or something, I don't know."

"You don't just turn gay, Quinn."

"Whatever" she laughs. "I believe one has the ability of turning another person gay."

"Do you, huh?" I chuckle when she nods. "Well, if you're ever tired of being straight, you have Rachel's number."

It takes her a second to get what I said, but then she gasps again and actually throws the pillow at me. I scramble up, laughing, and I walk away from her, to the kitchen. I hear her call from the couch to make me some tea, and I sigh softly, still with a smile on my face.

"Sure .."

* * *

"Quinn, where the hell are my - .. aha"

I sigh when I find Quinn in her room, wearing _my_ sweatpants. I raise an eyebrow at her and nod. "Oh" I say, faking to be surprised. "There they are!"

She looks up with a frown. "What?"

"You're wearing my pants," I tell her.

"Oh" she glances down at her legs. "Yeah" she says, before just continuing with whatever she's doing. I stay in the doorway.

After a couple of seconds, she looks up at me again. "You need anything?"

"Uh yes" I say, frowning. "My pants, please"

"What about 'em?"

"Uh, I don't know? Take them off?"

Quinn looks at me and grins widely. "Santana Lopez, are you trying to get me to strip for you?" I can see she's trying her best to keep her act up, and not to start laughing.

I shake my head. "Quinn Fabray, take off my pants. Now."

A moment of silence.

I didn't realise how that bad sounded until the words were out of my mouth, and Quinn started laughing at me. I can't help but to join her in her laughter.

"Anytime, miss Lopez" Quinn chuckles.

"Maybe another time" I laugh. "But no, seriously, Quinn. I need them."

"But they're comfy!" She whines. "And by the way, if you're meeting Brittany, you probably don't even need pants."

I roll my eyes and give her a look.

She sighs "Fineee ..."

She takes off my sweatpants and throws them to me, I catch them in my right hand. I linger around for a few more seconds, and watch her stroll through her room in her underwear. She opens drawers and closets, picks up things from the floor and groans in frustration every five seconds.

I arch my brow at her. "Do I even want to know -"

" - No" she answers, before I could even finish my question. I frown, but then shrug and walk out.

"Okay."

I still have 30 minutes before I have to be at the dance studio, so I'm not in a hurry. I put on my sweatpants, twirl my hair in a bun, and grab something to eat. Twenty minutes later I say bye to Quinn, and walk out of the door. I decide to take the stairs, not because of my encounter in the elevator yesterday, but just because I feel like it.

I arrive at the dance studio, and walk through the hall. Music is playing, and by the volume I assume it's yours. But it's not the song we have to dance to though, it's something else. I know the song, but I can't remember what it's called.

I check my watch and see I'm just on time. I open the door to your studio. To my surprise, Mr. Chang is here. Sorry, Mike. If I'm going to call you Brittany, I'll have to call him by his first name too, I guess.

"Santana!"

I look up as you call my name. You look gorgeous as ever. You know, I kinda envy you for that. Even sweaty, with messed up hair, and dance clothes, you still look good. I think you're one of those people who simply can't look terrible.

I hint a smile at you. "Hi .."

Mike is watching me. I smile at him, a bit awkwardly.

He smiles back. "Well, I better get going, have fun"

"Yeah, you're coming over later, right?" you ask him. He turns around, smiles, and nods.

"Of course"

I'm confused. He's coming over? Are you dating Mike now? So what Rachel said couldn't be right.. No, I'm being silly. You're probably just friends. Friends hang out at eachother's apartments. Right? Yeah, why am I even overthinking this. Why am I even thinking about this? There isn't a single reason why it would matter to me if you would possibly be attracted to girls. I think. Nope, can't think of a single one .. You could date Mike, it's not like I would care ..

But .. you know, you're probably just friends.

You turn your back to the door while Mike walks out, and you head to the stereo. You seem like you're about to turn the song off, but then you look up at me.

"Do you know this song?" You ask me, slightly frowning. I shrug.

"I think so"

Your lips curl into a wide smile and I know you're getting an idea. You pause the song.

"I'm gonna show you something" You grin.

You sign for me to sit down on the floor. I walk to the middle of the room, and watch you go through your stuff. You fish a black hat out of your bag and I frown, but when you put the hat on, it suddenly makes sense to me. I remember where I know the song from, it was one of my childhood favourites. The song that was playing was _Me Against The Music_, the Britney Spears and Madonna _CLASSIC._ How did I not recognize this?

But wait. Are we seriously going to dance to this song? I've always wanted to do that, honestly. Oh god, you're watching me again. Smile, Santana.

"You okay?"

I nod quickly and you grin at me, slightly shaking your head. "Pay attention" you say. "'Cause you're gonna have to help me with this later."

I frown, but you continue talking. "You know the song, right? So you've probably seen the music video?"

I nod again. "Well, Mike was here because we are creating a choreography for this song, based on the one performed in the video. Only, we are making it sort of a .. Dance duel. A duo performance. Well, parts of it."

I frown slightly at your words. "But in the video, don't they already both dance?"

"Yeah" you chuckle "but not together."

You walk over to me with a tablet in your hands. You sit down next to me, awfully close, and turn the screen so I can see.

"Okay, so, I'll show you what we have already, and then I'm going to teach you a bit, kay?"

"Um, yeah .. Sure .."

It's not that I don't want to see you dance, because I like watching you dance. I never get tired of watching you dance, but .. Aren't we supposed to be focusing on _Flawless,_ still? I mean, the show is in like.. A week. And I am nowhere near ready.

"Santana"

My head snaps up and you catch my eyes. You're smiling softly. "I said pay attention" you wink. "Stop worrying about the show"

I breathe in deeply and sigh. "But it's so soon already and .." I look down, fiddling with my hands. "I just .. I'm not ready."

"Yes, you are." You put your hand on mine and smile as I flinch. "I believe in you, Santana. I've told you before. Don't you remember last time? You could do it! And you did it flawlessly."

"Yeah, after about a hundred times .." I mumble.

"Yeah, indeed. But now you can .."

I look up at you. You look so sincere. So honest. My hands let go off each other and you take that opportunity to wrap your left hand in my right. "You got this, okay? You have no reason to be scared anymore."

I breathe in sharply. I glance down at our hands, and then look back at you. "Really?"

A smile spreads across your face. "Really." You nod. "Now, do you need to prove me wrong? Or are you ready for something new?"

I take a deep breath and smile at you. "I think I'm ready"

"Yeah?" You ask, raising an eyebrow at me. "Are you _sure_ you ready for this jelly?"

I frown, but can't help a giggle escaping my lips. You're such a dork. With a smile on my face, I nod. "I'm ready."

"Great" you say, jumping up again. You let go off my hand and I catch myself missing it instantly. I shake my head. Act normal, Santana.

Meanwhile, you're searching through your bag again. You grab something out of it and turn around with a grin on your face. In your hands, you have a white vest, just like Madonna's.

I laugh lightly and shake my head. "Where do you get those things?"

"Oh, I have tons" you wink at me. "But I brought this one for you."

I smile at you, but then frown. Hold up. I actually have to wear this? No way, there is no way I could pull off that outfit. And I mean, I could never out-sexy Madonna. Every attempt, by anyone wherever, would just be .. I don't know. Lousy?

"C'mooon" you call me out of my thoughts. "Put it on! You can put it over your shirt you know, you don't have to take it off. Unless you want to, of course" you joke.

I shake my head and practically tell you what I have just been thinking. "Brittany, I can't .. I can't do this."

You furrow your eyebrows and give me a look. "Why not?"

"Because .. I mean, Madonna wore this. _Madonna."_

Your lips curl into a bright smile and you giggle at me. "Sweetie, you know this isn't the original costume, right? I got it off some shady internet site" you laugh.

Oh, you look cute like that ..

Wait what? No, I didn't think that at all..Nope.

I roll my eyes. "Well, yeah .. I knew that .. It's just .. I could never look as amazing as her"

"Nah" you shrug. I look up and frown at you before I know it. You what? Isn't this the time you're supposed to say that isn't true?

"Unless you are secretly a 50 year old woman dressed like sixteen, you'll look way better" you nod.

Oh.

Well ..

You smirk at me. "C'mon, Santana. Don't pretend you don't know that you'd look all kinds of sexy in that suit."

I feel my cheeks flush pink, and I slowly lift my shoulders a bit, looking down at my feet. You giggle again. "Come on, we don't have all day!"

After I had finally put the vest on, you showed me the video of you and Mike dancing. I think my mouth dropped to the floor from the second you two started moving. I mean, I don't say this much, believe me, but .. Damn. God damn.

It was amazing. Mike dances like he doesn't have actual bones in his body, he moves quickly and controlled and his skills are awesome but, you .. You were magnificent. Your blonde hair danced around your head with every move, your long legs made you look so graceful with every step you took. You strode across the dancefloor like you had never done anything else. You were so elegant, yet so sexy and confident at the same time.

As I had said before. I could only dream of ever being that good as you.

"You like it?" You ask me. I turn to face you, you're smiling at me. I nod quickly.

You chuckle "Well, good" you say, jumping up and reaching your hand out for me. I let you pull me up. "Because we're gonna dance it together."

Wait no what? We? Us two? You and me? Oh no no no no no

You laugh when you see the confusion on my face. "Relax" you wink. "You'll be fine. It's not as hard as it looks"

I nod, frowning. "Myeah .." I mumble. "But why do _I_ have to dance it with you?"

You raise an eybrow at me "Don't you want to dance with me then?"

My eyes widen as I realise how that sounded. "Oh, no! No, I mean, yes. Yes I do but .. I - just .. Why me? When there are like other dancers and .. Stuff"

When I look up at you again, you're grinning at me. Why are you grinning at me?

You shake your head, "Well" you say with a shrug. "Maybe you're just my favourite"

I feel my cheeks flush and look down, biting my lip. Am I really? But why? No, you're probably just saying that to get me to dance with you. But wait, do you really want to dance with me ..?

"San" you call me out of my thoughts, I look up, smile, and then it hits me.

San?

Did you just nickname me? Or did I hear wrong?

By the smile on your face, I think I heard right.

"Let's begin, shall we? We've wasted an awful lot of time already."

I smile back and nod. "Yeah, okay. Okay"

You smile brightly, and you begin to explain the first moves to me.

Left, right, down, up, spin, down, and all over again.

You show me a few times, and I just watch you. My eyes are focused on your body, but my ears don't hear what you say. My mind is lost in thoughts as you so gracefully move over the dancefloor.

I'm your favourite, you said.

Well, maybe.

You nicknamed me.

You look at me, you're probably expecting me to try and imitate your moves now. I stand up straight and take a breath. I've watched you closely, I should be able to do this.

Okay.

Left, right, down, up..

Um ..

Left, right, down, up,.. spin, down, and over again.

Left, right, down, up, spin, down, and again.

I smile at myself and look up at you questionly. You nod, smiling. "Nice" you say "alright, next one"

You turn around and notice my reflection in the mirror. You catch my eye, and shoot me a smile.

"Pay attention, San" you say, amused.

I smile back at you, my eyes still locked to yours. Slowly, I nod my head.

"Yeah" I say. You give me another smile, before tearing your eyes away from mine, and turning straight forward again. You tell me what to do, and show me how to do it. I watch you, with a smile, my mind still lost in thoughts.

I'm your favourite.

You nicknamed me.

_San._


	4. Drama Lama

**This chapter took too freaking long to write I'm terribly sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy this chapter though, even though there isn't that much Brittana. Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter, I really appreciate it.**

**Now, on with the story ..**

* * *

"One, two, three, four. And left, right, down, up, spin, down. And one, two, no no. Santana, you're going too fast."

I chuckle silently. "I think you're going too slow.." Your lips curl into a smile as you give me a challenging look.

"Oh, really?"

I lightly shrug. "Well, I was just thinking .." I mumble. "I could be wrong, I mean .."

You're biting your lip, and you look like you're thinking. I guess you're counting in your head or something.

"No, you're right." You reply suddenly, with a small nod of your head. "You're right, I was counting off beat. Alright, let's do it again, sorry 'bout that. You count the steps this time."

I frown at you. I have to count the steps? "But I can't - count and dance at the same time."

"Of course you can" you state. "But you don't have to. Just .. Go with the flow, I'm sure you can do it without my help already."

I nod slowly. You really do believe in me .. I take a deep breath and look at myself in the mirror. Alright, I can do this alone. If you say so.

You start the song over again. You haven't taught me the first verse yet, so I'm waiting for the chorus to start. Alright, here it goes.

This is where I go left, right, down, up, spin, down. Left, right, down, up, spin, down. I count the steps in my head and dance the routine fluently. Alright now kick left, down, kick right. Slide .. And then something.

You let out a light laugh when you see my confused face, as I stand still in the middle of the dance floor.

"What came after that slide?" I ask you, frowning. "I can't .. I can't remember.."

"That's because I haven't showed you yet, smartass." You laugh and glance up at the clock. "But you know the chorus pretty well, I've taught you the part already too when Madonna is like .. I don't know, I'm not gonna sing for you" You laugh. "Anyway, it's almost two, you should head home and eat something and .. I'll see you again in two hours." You smile.

Your smile quickly grows wider when you see the expression on my face as I look up at the clock. It's 2pm already? Time flies so fast when I'm here in the studio with you. A small smile appears on my face. I kinda like it.

"Okay" I reply softly, nodding my head. I start to walk over to the wall where I dropped my stuff earlier, before realising I'm still wearing the white vest. I turn and start unbuttoning it. "I still have your vest" I say as I walk over to you.

You come up to me and I stand still, struggling with the third button. "Keep it." You say, as you put your hand over mine to stop me from trying to undo the button. I look up at you. "It looks better on you anyway" you shrug.

I smile a bit surprised, but then softly shake my head. "I can't just _keep_ it. It's yours."

"Not anymore" you smile, and your hands move up, doing the buttons up again. You take a step closer to me to do the top button, and then smile at me. "You look great. Now go" You say, softly turning by my shoulders. You give me a push and I stumble a step forward but then walk back over to my stuff. I kneel down and grab my bag and jacket. When I stand up, you're watching me. I frown slightly as I uncomfortably shift under your stare.

"What..?" I mumble.

You flash me an amused grin. "Nothing" you shake your head.

I swallow and avert my eyes to the floor. "I'm gonna .. Go. Quinn is probably waiting for me." You nod, but I'm already walking to the door, and you're facing my back.

"Bye, Santana."

I stop and look over my shoulder. I return your smile with a small one. "Bye"

After that, I quickly make my way out of the studio, passing Mike in the hall. I hint a smile back at him. He's walking in the direction of where I just came from. I hear him open the door as I walk out of the building.

(No POV)

"Hey" Mike calls, and you look up from your phone. "Saw Santana in the hallway."

"Oh, yeah. She was heading home." You reply. You lock your phone and put it down. "I taught her a part of the routine already, she's doing great."

You takes your water bottle out of your bag and open the lid. You take a few sips, before noticing Mike's awkward behaviour. He's shifting his weight from his one leg to his other, and then leans against the mirror in a way that doesn't look comfortable at all. You frown at him. "What's wrong?"

"Just .." he looks up and sighs softly. "Why are you spending so much time with her all of a sudden?"

You shrug, your eyebrows still frowning. "I'm just helping her, she doesn't .. feel that comfortable in a big group so .. If I do it like this she can focus on the dancing more."

"Britt .." he replies. "I know you're not just trying to teach her to dance."

"Yes, I am." You quickly spat back. "And by the way, the way I teach is none of your business."

Mike frowns surprised, he's not used to the way you're talking right now. He blinks and takes a deep breath. "You're right" he says quietly, "but you're my friend, so what you do in general is kinda my business." He sighs when you don't answer, and just pretend that you're busy searching for something. "Britt .." he breathes. "You can't be everyone's hero .."

Your head snaps up. Mike gulps as he feels like your eyes bore straight into his soul. It's like you're looking through him. He can practically hear you grinding your teeth. "I'm not trying to save everyone." You reply slowly, in a low voice. Mike bows his head down. "But I will not make the same mistake _ever_ again."

The man nods slowly. He knows that there isn't much he can say right now to get through to you. He sighs and stands up straight again. "Of course" he almost whispers. "Just .." he looks up at you. "Don't do anything stupid."

He can see you gulp at his words. You lick your lips and take a deep breath, before turning around. "Let's just get to work."

* * *

I arrive home and walk into my apartment. I instantly hear the sound of the tv - Jersey Shore again - so I know Quinn is still home. I wonder if she has even left the apartment today.

She looks up from the couch just as I enter the living room, and I almost drop my bag to the ground. Gasping, my eyes widen. "Oh my god" I exclaim. "What the _hell_ have you done to your hair?"

A massive grin appears on her face when she ruffles her fingers through her hair. "I wanted a change." She replies, as she sits up straight. I walk up closer to her, still staring, my brows knitted into a frown.

"So you painted it pink?!"

She shrugs. "I got it cut, too." She fakes a pout, puffing her lower lip out. "You don't like it?"

I take another look at her. Once I got over the shock, I see that it actually suits her really well. She looks badass, and completely different, but also kinda hot. I gulp and quickly shake off that thought. "You know" I shrug, "I guess it's alright."

"Yeah?" She replies, smiling. She gets up from the couch and walks up to the mirror in the hall. I follow her. "I do look pretty hot, don't I?"

I stand behind her in front of the mirror and roll my eyes, laughing. "Yeah" I agree, nodding my head. "You certainly do."

She winks at me in our reflection and then turns back to the living room. "So, how was dancing?" She asks me as I walk into the kitchen.

I take a cup and fill it with cold tap water. "Good" I reply, before taking a few sips. "You're coming later, right?"

"No, I have plans"

I turn around and shoot her a look. "Thanks for telling me?" I reply.

"Myeah sowrry" she seems like she's trying to fit as many grapes as possible in her mouth, while still attempting to talk. She takes a moment to chew and swallow. "I got a hot date too" she replies with a mischievous grin.

I quirk up my eyebrow at her. "Does your hot date know that a can of paint has landed on your hair?"

She huffs. "Yes, he does. As a matter of fact, he's the one who gave me the idea."

"Hm hm" I hum, as I walk up to her and join her in front of the TV. "So who is your mystery man? Still that Richard guy? Or what was his name .. Richmond?"

She chuckles and shows me a charming smile, causing a small dimple to appear in her cheek. She only smiles like this when she has a secret she wants to tease me with. "Richie" she replies, "and no, it's not him."

"_Another_ new guy?" I ask surprised, my eyes widening. "You were in to him like, last week"

"He was _boring_" she says in a whiny voice, "have you even seen him?"

"Yeah" I laugh. "He was like a thousand years old" I reply, a giggle bubbling in my throat.

"But rich he was .." Quinn says dreamy, faking her regret as she slightly pouts.

I roll my eyes and shift a bit so I can reach the remote control. I switch to another post - Dr. Phil - and look at Quinn again. She's texting.

"Q," I start, "if this new guy is in any way like the previous three, you better not be planning to have sex in our apartment tonight, 'cause if he dies of heart failure or somethin' I ain't helping you clean up."

She giggles, and slowly turns her head to give me a guilty look. My face drops. "Quinn .."

"Myeeah?" She asks innocently, as she cocks her head.

I bite my lip and take a deep breath. "You know what? I don't even want to know" I say, before getting up from the ground, taking a few steps and sitting down on the other couch to take off my shoes.

"You suuure?" I see her glance at me out of the corner of her eye, and her lips curl into a tiny, but evil smirk. I'm scared to lie down, but I decide she's probably bluffing anyway.

"Yup" I reply lightly. "I do not care where you have gross sexual intercourse with men who are as old as a dinosaur fossil."

I lie down and stuff a pillow under my head. In the meantime I'm watching Quinn, she looks like she's waiting for me to get comfortable. I turn on my side, wiggle a bit and fake a smile. She locks eyes with me, and her expression is blank, but I can see the sparkle in her eye. I instantly know I've made a mistake. Suddenly a smug grin appears on her face, like she remembers something dirty.

"You know, that's a really bouncy couch you're lying on."

At first I frown and give her a weird look, but then I get it.

They fucked on this couch...

Dammit.

* * *

Since this was the last class before the show Saturday evening, we didn't do that much, just repeating the flawless choreography and two other dances that we learned throughout the year, that we would perform tomorrow night. I guess you kinda forgot that the year is almost over again, with your whole Madonna/Britney plan and all. Well, it's currently only the beginning of May, but soon everyone will have finals and stuff, so after the show there aren't many people who still have spare time to dance. I was one of them last year. I think I'll be able to make some time now.

You didn't ask me to meet up again, I get it. You're busy, and I should be studying. The thing is, I can't. When I get back from class Friday night, Quinn isn't there with her mystery lover, so the apartment is completely quiet. Normally, I would be glad to have some time to myself. I would take a bath and read a bit, and then open my books to see what I have to study for my final exams this year. I would maybe even start summarizing.

But I'm sitting here on the couch, staring at a dark television screen, and my thoughts keep spinning back to you.

You don't see anything in me.

You don't like me.

You couldn't.

And I can't like you.

I shouldn't.

It would be a lost cause anyway.

I should be preparing for tomorrow night. I should be doing a final fitting for my outfit, I should be checking if I have everything. I should text Quinn to remind her not to stay up too late.

But I'm sitting here on the couch, staring at a dark television screen, and my thoughts keep spinning back to you.

You told me you believed in me. Before you, my mom was the only one I believed to actually mean it.

You gave me a nickname.

You were worried about me.

You think I'm interesting.

Fuck.

I don't know how much time has passed.

_"Hey there"_

_You give me the most charming of smiles, and I shyly smile back._

_"Hi"_

_You come up to me and take my hand to twirl me around. I can't help a small giggle. You shake your head at me._

_"You're such a cutie" you chuckle, scrunching your nose up a bit. I don't reply, just look down, but I can still feel your gaze lingering on me. A few seconds pass. Something feels different._

_When I look up, you're gone. Everyone's gone. I'm alone in the studio, and it's quiet. Have they left without me? But I'm still here!_

_"Quinn?" I shout._

_The light flickers a few times, and then completely shuts off. I can't see a thing, until the next moment a spotlight focuses on me. I'm not in the studio anymore, I'm on a stage. My eyes get used to the dark, and I frantically look around, searching for a familiar face. And suddenly, there you are. You stand backstage, and your lips curl into a proud smile when you realise I've noticed you. You raise your thumb at me, and mouth "Good luck"_

_You vanish as quickly as you appeared._

_Music starts playing._

_The colour drains from my face when I realise that I don't recognise the song._

_I can see the audience now, their eyes are big and their expressions are stern._

_DANCE! they demand, DANCE, SANTANA!_

_I feel my chest heaving up and down quickly as I spin around looking for you. I keep turning, and turning, and turning, until it feels like I can't stop anymore. I try to scream your name, but no sound comes out of my mouth. The stage doesn't seem to have an end to it. The audience is laughing. All their stern faces have turned into faces that look like they're watching a dog chase their tail._

_Dog. Joke. Failure. Nobody. We knew it all along._

_I'm going crazy. I stumble back, looking for support, looking for something to hold on to, but I can't stop spinning. I'm spinning, the room is spinning, the audience is one giant laughing mouth. I feel like I'm going to throw up._

_And then out of nothing, two hands grab my shoulders from behind and steady me. It feels like I was floating and like I'm put back on to solid ground. I know it's you. Light returns in the room. Colour returns to my cheeks. I can feel my heart beating in my chest._

_We're in the studio again. You twirl me around one last time, so I can see your face. Your lips curl into a soft smile. "Easy, Santana" you say. Your hands are still firmly holding on to my shoulders. You softly shake me._

_"Santana"_

_I'm right here, I reply. I'm in front of you._

_"San!"_

_Why are you yelling?_

_Suddenly I feel something cold hit my cheek. Hard. I feel my skin becoming warmer on one side of my face. You slightly cock your head to the side, there's pity in your eyes, and you smile like you feel sorry for me. The room starts to vanish, and you slowly disappear._

"Santana!"

Someone is still shaking my shoulders. Why are my eyes closed? I groan loudly and bring a hand to my cheek as I open my eyes. I am blinded by light for a few seconds, and then I see someone hovering over me.

"Q ..?"

"Oh thank god" she sighs, before slumping down on the floor beside me.

I slowly rub my cheek. "Did you slap me?" I grumble.

"Yeah" Quinn breathes, as she looks at me. "It was impossible to wake you up."

To wake me up?

I was sleeping?

Oh thank god, I was sleeping.

It was just a dream ..

I become conscious of the fact that I'm lying on the floor, with one leg under the coffee table. I sit up a bit and Quinn looks at me. She's wearing her worried expression.

"Are you okay?" She asks me.

I breathe in deeply and softly shake my head. "I - I don't know .. What happened? Weren't you out?"

"Well yeah, I come into our apartment and I instantly hear you like, panting and making weird noises in the living room, and then I meant to hear you say Brittany's name and I was like fuck no she is not getting away with sex in this room if I can't. So I walk up and you're just here by yourself, squirming on the floor. You looked like you were having a crazy fucked up nightmare"

In the meantime while Quinn was talking, I moved to sit on the couch and draped a blanket over my shoulders. "Yeah" I reply in a hoarse whisper. I clear my throat. "It was pretty messed up .. Well, not all of it, but .. thanks for waking me up, Q"

I'm sweating. I try to breathe as calmly as possible to get my heart rate back to normal, while Quinn gets up on her feet. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, on her way to the kitchen.

"No" I shake my head quickly. "I don't think that would help." A shiver runs down my spine when I remember the audience melting together to become a gigantic mouth. I swallow hard.

"I just - um, need something to take my mind off of it." I turn slowly and watch Quinn stroll through our small kitchen and starting to boil water. It's not a seperate room, but the cooking island is a clear border between the kitchen and the living room.

"Like what?" She replies, reaching out to the cabinet and opening it. "Tea?"

Suddenly I notice something. My mouth drops open for a second. "Like why the _fuck_ are you wearing Puckermann's airforce jacket?"

"It was cold" she replies automatically, but then I see her face change. She knows she's answered too quickly, and she looks totally busted. "But I mean, it's not - it's not Puck's .. It's not, his." She stumbles.

I'm staring at her. "The fucking name tag says Noah Puckermann, Quinn. Is he back in town? Are you seeing him again?"

Quinn avoids my gaze and shrugs self consciously. "It's complicated"

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, frowning.

Quinn just turns away from me and pours hot water in a cup. "I don't want to talk about it." She replies curtly, before walking over to me and placing the cup on the coffee table. She takes a few steps in the direction of her room, but looks at me over her shoulder. "Will you be alright?"

I let out a silent sigh, but nod. "Yeah" I say quietly. "I'll be fine."

She nods, too, and continues walking away from me. "Drink some tea." She instructs, before disappearing in to her room.

I can't believe this, Puck is one of my best friends, why wouldn't he tell me he was in town?

The thought that maybe he just doesn't want to see me crosses my mind. I slump into the couch and close my eyes as I sigh. I didn't do anything stupid last time, did I? If I did I don't recall .. Maybe I should just text him ..

No, no if he wanted to see me, he'd contact me. Right? It's been such a long time since I've seen him .. Maybe he forgot about me ..

I take a deep breath and shake my head. Noah wouldn't forget about me. He couldn't, Quinn has probably mentioned me already. But what if she hasn't?

Oh, god, I really need to stop thinking like this.

It's probably better if I get some sleep.

* * *

I wake up on the couch the next morning when I hear a couple of voices talking. I open my eyes and sit up.

" - but I'll see you soon, right?"

"Not tonight. But soon, yes."

"Why not tonight?"

Oh my god. It's Puck.

Puck is here!

Does he even know I live here?

"Because I already have plans .. The dance show thing is tonight."

"Right" I hear him reply. "But can't I at least come in now? I haven't seen Santana in ages, I can't just leave without saying hi"

Okay, so he does remember me, and he knows I live here.

Wait a minute, of course he knows, he helped us decorate the place. Okay, Kurt decorated, and we just told Puck where he had to place the heavy furniture. And the boxes. And the things that we were too lazy to carry .. So practically, everything.

The point is, he's been here before.

I sit up straighter so I can look over the couch pillows. He instantly notices me.

"Princess! There you are!"

I roll my eyes, but feel my lips curl into a soft smile. I can't believe he's still calling me that. I can see him looking at Quinn, as if asking for permission, and she just shrugs. "Go ahead" she says, gesturing in my direction.

He grins and walks up to me with his arms spread. "Santana Lopez." He says with a dopey smile. I grin back and jump up from the couch, into his arms. He catches me and twirls me around, almost knocking over a vase with fake flowers.

He puts me down, giving me a chance to look at him properly. "God, you've changed." I say, shaking my head. I reach up and run my hand over his hair. "And you finally got rid of the squirrel" I laugh.

He chuckles and fixes his hair. "I had to" he replies with a shrug, "the army didn't really appreciate my badass hairdo"

I shake my head again and smile at him. "I missed you" I say quietly, and he smiles and pulls me closer for another hug.

"I missed you too, princess" he replies softly.

I can't help but smile everytime he calls me that. You see, Puck normally isn't this sweet. In high school he was the guy throwing slushies in people's faces, and throwing nerds in the dumpsters on the parking lot. He was pretty much a giant douchebag, actually. And then he joined glee club, the club that Quinn and I were in too, and there he was different, almost nice most of the time.

I was only in Glee club because my mom forced me to sign up. She wanted me to meet people, have fun, make some friends .. Truth is, the first three months I barely talked, I didn't dare to start a conversation with anyone, and the other members didn't pay that much attention to me. And then we had to do duets, and I was paired up with Quinn. And then, well .. We started to get to know each other, I joined the cheerios with her, and one thing led to another.

Anyway, I was talking about Puck. From the moment I was on the cheerleading team, he started hitting on me. I didn't know what to think of him, even though I was flattered that a popular guy like him would see something in me. But at first I still thought he was a douchebag, so I didn't really want to get with him.

Until one day in math class, when the teacher called on me just when I wasn't paying attention. I stared at him while the entire class stared at me, and I slightly started panicking. When I told the teacher that I didn't know the answer but he kept pushing, I went into full panic mode. Puck apparently noticed, and he just kinda shouted the answer through the classroom. When mr. Doucheface told him that he hadn't asked Puck, he just replied that I didn't know the answer so that he should lay off of me. And miraculously, he did. Puck got sent to the principle's office though.

So that day after class I gathered the courage to go talk to him and thank him for saving my ass in class. He just kinda smirked and told me I could make it up to him by letting him take me out. And I couldn't say no, right, because he just got himself sent to the principle because of me, so I agreed. And after one date came another, and another, and so on.

We got to know each other pretty well, and I realised that I actually liked him. I wasn't exactly in love with him, but he showed interest in me, and for some strange reason he became very protective of me. He always wanted to make me feel better, in his own unique way, and if someone were to bother me, he was always around. He became my best friend, along with Quinn. And then Finn, one of the former glee club members died, and Puck joined the army, and now I barely see him anymore. I think it's been over a year.

And he's dating Quinn again...

Say hello to drama.

He releases me and looks at me with that same smile I'm so familiar with. Then he turns to Quinn, who came to stand next to him. "Can't I come watch tonight?"

"No, you can't" Quinn replies curtly.

"Why not?" I say, confused. "It would be fun!"

Quinn shakes her head. "No, just don't come" she says to Puck. "C'mon, you should go, or you'll be late for your plane."

I sigh and shrug when Puck and I share a meaningful look. He gives me a kiss on my hair and hints a smile. "I'll see you soon"

I smile back. "Yeah, for sure"

He nods, turns to Quinn and gives her a quick kiss. "Don't be so angry all the time" he tells her, and before he leaves I hear him quietly whispering that she looks smokin' with her hair like that. He walks out of the door, his jacket slung over his shoulder, and Quinn's face is flushed. I raise an eyebrow at her and she clears her throat. "You probably have some questions for me?"

I hum a bit, nodding.

"Well, can you save them for later, please? I have to take a shower."

"Sure" I reply. "If I were you, I'd take a really cold one." I say with a wink.

She rolls her eyes at me and makes her way through the living room, into the bathroom. I hear a groan after she closed the door and I can't help a light laugh.

Noah's back.

Hello, drama.

* * *

**So, next chapter is the dance show! Maybe some interesting things will happen? **

** How do you feel about Puck? Do you think he should be dating Quinn? **

**And what do you guys think Brittany's mistake could be? **

**Let me know in the box below! **


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